Tag Archives: cannabidiol

The cannabis plant contains compounds that have a wide range of medicinal applications throughout the body. Cannabis has a profound influence on the human body. How can one herb help so many different conditions in so many ways? How can it provide both the ability to relieve symptoms and also have the ability to treat and cure? How can it be so safe while offering such powerful effects?

Cancer, Crohn’s disease, Epilepsy, Chronic Pain, Multiple Sclerosis, Sleep Disorders, Tourette’s syndrome, Eczema, Lou Gehrig’s Disease, Alzheimer’s, Anorexia, Glaucoma, Arthritis, PMS, Anxiety Disorders, Autism, Asthma, Cerebral Palsy, Constipation, Sleep Apnea, Headaches (Cluster, Migraine, Tension), Viral Hepatitis, Cystic Fibrosis, Carpal Tunnel Syndrome, Severe Nausea, PTSD, Senile Dementia, Emphysema, Gastritis, and this is just to name a few, I could name at the very least another 100+ ailments that marijuana helps in one way or another. All of these conditions have different causes, different physiologic states, and vastly different symptoms, all over the body. This one herb and its variety of therapeutic compounds seem to affect every aspect of our bodies and minds, whether we be male or female, young or old, American or Asian or whatever race, wherever we live in the world, how is this possible? All of the ailments with symptoms or ailments that can be treated if not cured with marijuana, we are just touching the tip of the iceberg on what we know about this weed and what immense good it can do for humanity, and it’s potential is quite profound, utterly amazing, if not miraculous. There is so much more this humble weed can do for us, that as of yet to be discovered. This herb that has been for so long stigmatized, regarded as worthy of disgrace and great disapproval, condemned, all by false information, only to be found that the herb of God’s approval, can benefit mankind in ways we can only dream of, and the following is why weed is the miracle plant.

The Endocannabinoid System

The search to answer these valid questions has led scientists to the discovery of a previously unknown system in our bodies, what has become the most important system of the health and healing of every human and almost every animal: The Endocannabinoid System. To understand the Endocannabinoid System is to understand the miraculous nature of weed. Truth be told, our bodies and minds were designed to use pot. Using synthetic pharmaceutical drugs has been the wrong approach in so many cases, causing more harm than good.

Homeostasis

The endogenous cannabinoid system, named after the plant that led to its discovery, is perhaps the most important system in our body involved in establishing and maintaining human health. Endocannabinoids and their receptors are found throughout the body: in the brain, organs, tissues, glands, nervous system and immune cells. In each tissue, the cannabinoid system performs different tasks, but the goal is always the same: Homeostasis, the maintenance of a stable healthy internal environment despite changes in the outside environment, a system in which differences are regulated so that conditions remain at an optimum healthy level within our bodies and minds.

Autophagy

Cannabinoids promote homeostasis at every level of biological life. Here is just one example: Autophagy, a normal process in the body that deals with the destruction of unhealthy cells is controlled by the cannabinoid system. While this process keeps normal cells alive, it has a deadly effect on unhealthy cells such as malignant tumor cells, Cancer cells, causing them to consume themselves in a programmed cellular suicide. The death of cancer cells, of course, promotes homeostasis and survival at the level of the entire organism. I am confidant marijuana will soon be our long awaited cure for Cancer.

Endocannabinoids and Cannabinoids

Endocannabinoids and cannabinoids are also found at the cross roads of the body’s various systems, allowing communication and coordination between different cell types.

A bridge between body and mind

The endocannabinoid system, with its complicated actions in our immune system, nervous system, and all of the body’s organs, is literally a bridge between body and mind. By understanding this system we begin to see how states of mind and consciousness can also promote health or disease. A healthy mind and soul promotes a healthy body.

In addition to regulating our internal and cellular homeostasis, cannabinoids influence a person’s relationship with the external environment. Socially, the administration of cannabinoids clearly alters human behavior, often promoting sharing, humor, and creativity. By mediating neurogenesis (the creation of new brain cells), neuronal plasticity (the reorganization of neural pathways in the brain), and learning, cannabinoids may directly influence a person’s open-mindedness and ability to move beyond limiting patterns of thought and behavior from past situations. Changing these old patterns is an important part of health in our quickly changing environment.

What Are Cannabinoid Receptors?

All mammals, as well as other species, share the endocannabinoid system as an essential part of life. Scientists estimate that the endocannabinoid system started evolving in primitive animals over 600 million years ago. While it may seem we know a lot about cannabinoids, the estimated twenty thousand plus scientific articles written to date on cannabinoids have just begun to shed light on the subject.

Cannabinoid receptors are present throughout the body and are more numerous than any other receptor system. When cannabinoid receptors are stimulated, a variety of processes begin. Researchers have identified two cannabinoid receptors: CB1, mostly present in the nervous system, connective tissues, gonads, glands, and organs; and CB2, mostly found in the immune system. Many tissues contain both CB1 and CB2 receptors, each linked to a different action. Researchers speculate there may be a third cannabinoid receptor waiting to be discovered. These cannabinoid receptors in our bodies can also be stimulated by the cannabinoids in marijuana. They are basically the same substance as what is produced naturally in the body, and this is why I say we were designed to smoke, ingest weed. We were made for pot. We need weed.

Endocannabinoids and Phytocannabinoids

Endocannabinoids are the substances our bodies naturally make to stimulate these receptors. Phytocannabinoids are the substances in marijuana plants that also stimulate these same cannabinoid receptors. THC is the most famous of these substances, but other cannabinoids such as cannabidiol (CBD) and cannabinol (CBN) are gaining the interest of researchers due to a variety of healing properties. Most phytocannabinoids have been isolated from the sativa strain of weed. And there are many, many more cannabinoids in weed to be researched and find how they might be benificial to our bodies also. Phytocannabinoids can replace depleted endocannabinoids in our bodies, Cannabinoids in marijuana act on the body by signaling the body to make more endocannabinoids and build more cannabinoid receptors, assisting in healing us and keeping us healthy.

Understanding Free Radicals and Antioxidants

Interestingly, the cannabis plant also uses THC and other cannabinoids to promote its own health and prevent disease. Cannabinoids have antioxidant properties that protect the leaves and flowering structures from the harmful effects of the sun – cannabinoids neutralize the harmful free radicals generated by UV rays, protecting the cells. In humans, free radicals cause aging, cancer, disease, and impaired healing. Antioxidants found in plants have long been promoted as natural supplements to prevent free radical harm. In recent years, there has been a great deal of attention toward the field of free radical chemistry. A balance between free radicals and antioxidants is necessary for proper bodily functioning. If free radicals overwhelm the body’s ability to regulate them, they will trigger a number of human diseases. The search for effective, nontoxic natural compounds with antioxidative activity has been intensified in recent years, and researchers are finding it, in weed. Cannabinoids in weed have natural antioxidant properties that prevent free radical harm. Less free radical harm equals less disease. Free radicals and antioxidants have become commonly used terms in modern discussions of disease mechanisms, and marijuana are now part of these discussions. In controlling free radicals, we can not only control cancer and other diseases, but aging as well.

Cannabis, The Endocannabinoid System, And Good Health

As we continue to sort through the emerging science of cannabis and cannabinoids, one thing remains clear: a functional cannabinoid system is essential for health. From conception in our mother’s uterus, to nursing and growth, to responding to injuries, endocannabinoids help us survive in a quickly changing and increasingly hostile environment. Can an individual enhance his/her cannabinoid system by taking supplemental cannabis? Beyond treating symptoms, beyond even curing disease, can cannabis help us prevent disease and promote health by stimulating an ancient system that is hard-wired into all of our bodies? The answer is YES.Research has shown that small doses of cannabinoids from cannabis can signal the body to make more endocannabinoids and build more cannabinoid receptors.This is why many first-time cannabis users don’t feel an effect, but by their second or third time using the herb they have built more cannabinoid receptors and are ready to respond. On a personal note, when I started smoking herb almost 40 years ago, I never got a buzz, everyone else seemed to catch a buzz, but not me, it was only after regular use did I start getting a buzz on, now I know why. More receptors increase a person’s sensitivity to cannabinoids; smaller doses have larger effects, and the individual has an enhanced baseline of endocannabinoid activity. I believe that small, regular doses of cannabis might act as a tonic to our most central physiologic healing system.

Many physicians might laugh at the thought of prescribing a ‘weed’ as medicine, a plant substance, and they are outright mortified by the idea of smoking a medicine. Our medical system is more comfortable with single, isolated synthetic substances that can be swallowed or injected. Unlike synthetic drugs, marijuana may contain over one hundred different cannabinoids, including THC, which all work together to produce better medical effects and less side effects than THC alone. While cannabis is safe and works well when smoked, many people prefer to avoid respiratory irritation and instead use a vaporizer, tincture, or topical salve. Scientific and patient testimonials both indicate that herbal cannabis has superior medical qualities to synthetic cannabinoids.

Thomas Edison, the prophet

In 1902 Thomas Edison said, “There were never so many able, active minds at work on the problems of disease as now, and all their discoveries are tending toward the simple truth that you can’t improve on nature.” Cannabinoid research has proven this statement is still valid.

So, is it possible that the marijuana plant we have been told by authorities for so many decades to be dangerous, addictive, and of no medicinal value, if not bordering on being evil, a drug still illegal federally in the USA as a schedule one drug, on par with cocaine and heroin, could become the most useful medicine in the history of mankind which can treat the widest variety of human diseases and ailments, be used to actually prevent and cure diseases, and ultimately a substance that will shield us, protect us from our own polluted, increasingly toxic, carcinogenic, poisonous environment? YES. This was well known in ancient India, China, and Tibet, and now, we ourselves are now becoming increasingly aware of the benefits of marijuana by modern western science. Of course, we need more human-based research studying the effectiveness of cannabis, despite the American DEA’s best efforts to discourage marijuana-related research.

Most doctors know shit about medicine

Does your doctor understand the benefits of marijuana? Can he or she advise you in proper medicinal administration? Likely not. Despite the two largest U.S. physician associations (American Medical Association and American College of Physicians) calling for more research, the U.S. Congress prohibiting federal interference in states’ medical cannabis programs, a 5,000 year history of safe therapeutic use, and a huge amount of published research, most doctors know little or nothing about marijuana.

This is all changing now, because the public is demanding it. People want safe, natural and inexpensive treatments that stimulate our bodies’ ability to self-heal and help our population improve its quality of life. Cannabis is one such solution. We are living at a time of profound change in how we look at marijuana, scientific evidence proves the medical use of cannabis and cannabinoids. Weed is a miracle plant that can only benefit mankind. Bud is all good. We have come along way since ‘Reefer Madness’.

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All the major cannabinoids in marijuana come from cannabigerol (CBG); THC and CBD – the two most common chemicals in marijuana – and other minor cannabinoids all begin as CBG. CBG is non-psychoactive and is quickly converted to other cannabinoids by enzymes in the cannabis plant, which explains the low concentration of CBG in most strains. CBG gets turned into THC, CBD or CBC almost soon as it gets made. Since it’s the precursor for the major compounds, very little of is left over in mature flowers.

Besides its role in forming other cannabinoids, CBG has a number of important medical effects of its own.
CBG inhibits the uptake of a chemical in our brain called GABA – something CBD also does. “When GABA [uptake] is inhibited, you actually have muscle relaxation and you have anti-anxiety effects, so it appears to promote similar effects that CBD has. It also appears to have anti-depressant and some modest anti-fungal properties.”

Just recently in January 2015,
( http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25252936 ) researchers discovered that CBG had neuroprotective effects in mice with Huntington’s Disease, a disease characterized by the degeneration of nerve cells in the brain. CBG improved motor skill deficiencies significantly and preserved neurons against toxicity.

In 2014, a study was conducted into the effect of CBG on cancer. The study revealed that cannabigerol can prevent the progression of cancer cells formed in the colon. CBG slowed down progression of colon cancer in mice. (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25269802 ). Another new study published in a recent issue of the journal Phytomedicine, and published online by the National Institute of Health, has found that cannabis-based medicines may provide a cure for colon cancer.

Evidence also suggests it has anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidant effects as well. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2823359/ Cannabigerol is perhaps most widely recognized as an anti-inflammatory cannabinoid.

It’s been known since at least the ‘80s that CBG can help treat glaucoma by relieving interocular pressure. Researchers writing for Experimental Eye Research gave rats and cats CBN and CBG, finding that chronic administration of these cannabinoids lowers ocular tension considerably.

Medical marijuana patients have access to high-THC and high-CBD cannabis, but what about high-CBG strains? They are rare, but they exist. Narrow-leafleted drug strains from the Indian-subcontinent, were found to have slightly higher levels of CBG than others. Relatively high amounts of CBG can be extracted from budding plants about three-quarters of the way through flowering. Testing of industrial hemp has found much higher levels of cannabigerol (CBG) than most strains of cannabis.

CBG-only strains will soon be as available is CBD cannabis. Hybridization between different types of strains will allow patients to use medicinal cannabis tailored to their needs and preferences in a way people only can dream of today.

Here are some alarming stress statistics, 44% adults feel more stressed than they did 5 years ago, 1 in 5 adults experience ‘extreme stress’ causing shaking, heart palpitations, depression. Work stress causes 10% of strokes. Stress is the basic cause of 60% of all human illness and disease. 3 out of 4 doctor’s visits are for stress-related ailments. Stress increases your risk of heart disease by 40%, heart attack by 25%, and stroke by 50%. 40% of stressed people overeat or eat unhealthy foods. 44% lose sleep every night. Stress related ailments cost Americans $300 billion every year in medical bills and lost production. So it seems stress is a serious problem. If It feels like stress Is killing you, that’s because it is. When you feel ‘frazzled’, so do your organs and cells.
Marijuana and its derivatives have profound effects on a wide variety of behavioral and neural functions, ranging from feeding and metabolism to pain and cognition.

Stress Kills Brain Cells – The endocannabinoid system

Stress is a killer—at least for brain cells. A new study shows that a single socially stressful situation can reduce the production of endocannabinoids in the brain, reducing production of newly created neurons in the hippocampus, the brain region involved in memory and emotion. Although most of the brain stops growing by adulthood, new nerve cells are continually generated in the hippocampus, where they are essential for learning. Scientists have long known that chronic stress can inhibit this process by which neurons are generated and lead to depression. Stress shrinks the brain. Chronic stress leads to depression. Marijuana’s cannabinoids can replenish this shortfall of endocannabinoids, therefore, no depression.

Cannabinoids, Endocannabinoids and Stress

Endocannabinoids are chemicals in the brain that are quite similar to the chemicals known as cannabinoids in marijuana. Endocannabinoids are involved in appetite, memory, mood, and pain sensations. They’re also involved in the psychoactive effects that weed has on us, as well as brain functions like cognition, behavior, and emotions. Among its various functions, the endocannabinoid system naturally regulates anxiety and stress levels. It does this through the release of chemicals that belong to the same class of chemicals found in marijuana: (endo)cannabinoids. In small doses, weed high in the cannabinoid CBD’s, relieves anxiety. Marijuana can act as a sedative and improves mood by reducing anxiety. The natural endocannabinoid system regulates anxiety and the response to stress by dampening signals in the brain. Marijuana regulates both anxiety and the body’s fight-or-flight response. When a person is exposed to chronic stress, or severe emotional trauma, there can be a reduction in the production of natural endocannabinoids. When this happens, anxiety levels tend to increase. Using marijuana can reduce this anxiety because the effect of its cannabinoids on the cannabinoid receptors in your body makes up for the reduction in the production of natural endocannabinoids.

Weed has a calming and relaxing effect

Most common reason people use cannabis is rooted in its ability to reduce feelings of stress, tension, and anxiety. Significant numbers of people may be self-medicating with weed in an attempt to reduce excessive anxiety. Weed is not dangerous as is alcohol, and it’s a peaceful drug: It has a calming and relaxing effect that must be associated with decreased anxiety.

A new study highlights the drug’s potential anxiety relief effects. Researchers at Vanderbilt University discovered cannabinoid receptors in an emotional hub of the brain in mice, which monitors anxiety as well as the flight-or-fight response. The authors state this is the first time that cannabinoid receptors have been found in the amygdala, the amygdala is an almond shaped mass of cells located deep within the temporal lobe of the brain. It is involved in many of our emotions and motivations, particularly those that are related to survival. The amygdala is involved in the processing of emotions such as fear, anger, and pleasure. It “could be highly important for understanding how cannabis exerts its behavioral effects,” Dr. Sachin Patel, senior author of the study, said in a press release. “We know where the receptors are, we know their function, we know how these neurons make their own cannabinoids,” Patel continues. “Now can we see how that system is affected by stress. It might fundamentally change our understanding of cellular communication in the amygdala, which has shown in research to perform a primary role in the processing of memory, decision-making, and emotional reactions.”

The use of cannabis in the treatment of anxiety disorders such as chronic stress was first described by ancient Indian medical literature, which said that cannabis helped its user to be “delivered from all worries and care” (Da Orta 1563). Regular marijuana users report that marijuana helps to reduce their anxiety levels. Studies show that the endocannabinoid system – the body’s natural cannabinoid system – plays a major role in regulating anxiety as well as the growth of new brain cells (neurogenesis), which is believed to improve anxiety levels.

On the other hand, paranoia and anxiety attacks are some of most commonly reported side-effects of marijuana use, especially in new and infrequent users. Indeed, studies have revealed a complex link between cannabinoids and anxiety, suggesting that marijuana’s effect on anxiety depends on both the dosage taken as well as the type of cannabinoids that are present. Today’s marijuana strains were bred to have very high levels of THC with low levels of CBD and CBG, thus the anxiety and paranoia. The weed we use today is not like the leaf of the sixties. Users who claim they get paranoid when they smoke weed would tell a different story if they smoked a reefer with high levels of CBD’s . Most studies involve pure THC which fail to accurately portray the effects of marijuana on anxiety, since cannabis contains over 60 different cannabinoid compounds. Studies have found CBD to play a major role in regulating anxiety and have even suggested that it may be a more effective treatment than THC for anxiety disorders. The first study (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/6285406) to document CBD’s effect on anxiety was published in 1982. The study found that CBD could block the anxiety provoked by THC among 8 healthy test subjects, implying that CBD-rich marijuana strains may be a better option for relieving anxiety.

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– The Endocannabinoid System and the BrainAnnual Review of PsychologyVol. 64: 21-47 (Volume publication date January 2013)First published online as a Review in Advance on July 12, 2012DOI: 10.1146/annurev-psych-113011-143739

Marijuana May Help With Diabetes

Are you Fat ?

Americans have become fat, plain and simply, fat. Between the 1960s and the 2000s, Americans grew, on the average, an inch taller and 24 pounds heavier. The average American man today weights 194 pounds and the average woman 165 pounds. The growing girth has led to the creation of special-sized ambulances, operating tables and coffins as well as bigger seats on planes and trains. Almost a third of American children and teens are overweight.

Obesity in America: It’s Getting Worse

Nearly two-thirds of adult Americans are overweight or obese, just plain fat. Unhealthy, diets and decreased physical activity, the prevalence of obesity in the United States has more than doubled over the past four decades.

Previous studies have found lower prevalence rates of obesity and diabetes in marijuana users, participants who reported using marijuana in the past month had:

The American Journal of Epidemiology has found that obesity rates are lowered by roughly one third in those who smoke weed just three times weekly with findings concluding that 22% of those who did not smoke marijuana were obese, compared with just 14% of the regular marijuana smokers. Perhaps marijuana smokers are cognizant of the fact that smoking causes the munchies and so they act accordingly—maybe allowing some extra indulgence while “high” but reverting to a more healthful lifestyle in between “sessions.”

Evidence shows that cannabis can have the following benefits for diabetes patients:

–stabilizing blood sugars (confirmed via “a large body of anecdotal evidence building among diabetes sufferers”)-anti-inflammatory action that may help quell some of the arterial inflammation common in diabetes-“neuroprotective” effects that help thwart inflammation of nerves and reduce the pain of neuropathy by activating receptors in the body and brain -“anti-spasmodic agents” help relieve muscle cramps and the pain of gastrointestinal (GI) disorders – weed acts as a “vasodilator” to help keep blood vessels open and improve circulation.

–contributes to lower blood pressure over time, which is vital for diabetics substituting cannabis butter and oil in foods, “benefits cardiac and arterial health in general”-it can also be used to make topical creams to relieve neuropathic pain and tingling in hands and feet-finally, cannabis helps still diabetic “restless leg syndrome” (RLS), so the patient can sleep better: “it is recommended that patients use a vaporizer or smoked cannabis to aid in falling asleep.”

The Netherlands has been seen as a bastion for the cannabis smoker for a very long time. It is where tourists, students, medical users and anyone looking for a bit of enlightenment make a pilgrimage to in order to sample some of the wonders of marijuana. But did you know that weed is not technically legal there? Through loopholes in law and by public consensus, the governing body of the Netherlands operates under a policy of tolerance. This means anything that is classified as a “soft drug” by the government, (which cannabis is), doesn’t involve the pursuit of individual prosecutions for personal possession, Personal use is tolerated.
And the U.S. didn’t even make the top 20. The Netherlands came out on top because of low diabetes rates.

The Netherlands has long been at the forefront of offering medical marijuana to its citizens. Medical marijuana was legalized in the Netherlands for use in pharmacies in 2003 and since 2007 several pharmacies have specialized in medical cannabis. They buy medical cannabis in bulk and can therefore deliver the products for a lower price. Three types of medical cannabis are available through pharmacies: Bedrocan,Bedrobinol and Bediol. In 2005, two years after medical marijuana was legalized in the country, 60% to 70% of Dutch physicians regarded medical cannabis sufficiently socially accepted and would prescribe it if asked for by a patient.

Cannabinoid receptors, located in the brain, are part of the Endocannabinoid system which is involved in a variety of physiological processes including appetite, pain-sensation, mood, and memory, etc.

Cannabis helps stabilize blood sugar.

Both types of diabetes can be helped by weed. In Type 1 diabetes, a lower fasting level might eliminate the need for an insulin injection at that time. While injections wouldn’t be completely eliminated, it could decrease the number needed per day. For those with Type 2 diabetes, being less resistant to the insulin could help control the advancing of the disease by improving the body’s ability to manage sugar levels naturally. Marijuana protects from inflammation of nerves Many cannabinoids act primarily to inhibit Hormone-like compounds (prostaglandins) which are produced by the body and are responsible for inflammation features, such as swelling, pain, stiffness, redness and warmth, several other cannabinoids in addition to THC were able to stimulate the synthesis of prostaglandins in cell culture a group, a physiologically active lipid compounds having diverse hormone-like effects Marijuana provides powerful anti-oxidant properties.This means that cannabis is an excellent anti-inflammatory that lacks the side effects of common diabetic drug which can have very serious side effect..

Cannabis is also a neuroprotective.

Cannabis is also a neuroprotective. It is believed that much of problem with the nerves, usually the ‘peripheral nerves‘ comes from the inflammation of nerves caused by glycoproteins in the blood that trigger an immune response. Cannabis helps protect the nerve covering from inflammatory attack. Cannabis also lessens the pain of neuropathy by activating receptors in the body and brain. Some components of cannabis (perhaps cannibidiol) CBD’s act as anti-spasmodic agents similar to the far more toxic anti-convulsants like Neurontin. This action of cannabis helps relieve diabetic muscle cramps and GI upset. Most diabetics learn very early that maintenance of good blood sugar is most easily achieved when patients or their caregivers cook as opposed to eating fast food or prepared foods. Cooking not only provides superior nutrition necessary to treat diabetes but also is a form of physical therapy for diabetic hands that suffer from neuropathy. Cannabis may also be used to make topical creams (mixed with aloe vera and/or emu oil) that can be applied directly to hands and feet affected by neuropathic pain and tingling.

Restless leg syndrome

Night time can be particularly difficult for diabetics. A syndrome known as “restless leg syndrome” (RLS) is common. Cannabis helps still RLS which is otherwise treated with quinine and/or muscle relaxants like Flexaril. For night time it is recommended that patients use a vaporizer or smoked cannabis to aid in falling asleep. If night time hypoglycemia is a problem, then a cannabis cookie can be very helpful. Cannabis cookies are great treatment so long as portion control is exercised.

Two other major actions of cannabis can benefit the diabetic. The first is helping to keep blood vessels open and improving circulation. Cannabis is a vasodilator , the widening of blood vessels.[1] It results from relaxation of smooth muscle cells within the vessel walls, in particular in the large veins, large arteries, and smaller arterioles. and works well to improve blood flow. The second action is how cannabis can reduce blood pressure over time. While cannabis is not generally thought to be an anti-hypertensive and is no replacement for ACE inhibitors, it does contribute to lower blood pressure which is vital in diabetes management.

A diabetes epidemic is underway and it is a very serious situation.

Diabetes is a chronic disease that has spread widely in recent decades and there is as of yet no cure. The numbers of those inflicted is staggering and increasing considerably. In the last ten years alone, those living with diabetes jumped almost 50 percent. Today, diabetes takes more lives than AIDS and breast cancer combined — claiming the life of 1 Canadian every 30 minutes and a new case of diabetes is diagnosed every 5 minutes. Diabetes currently affects more than 371 million people worldwide and kills around 5 million a year and it is expected to affect more than half a billion people by 2030 and the World Health Organization anticipates that worldwide deaths attributable to diabetes will double by 2030.Without primary prevention, the diabetes epidemic will continue to grow. Diabetes is projected to become one of the world’s main disablers and killers within the next twenty-five years.

Diabetes is a disease in which the body is unable to properly use and store glucose (a form of sugar). Glucose backs up in the bloodstream — causing one’s blood sugar to rise too high. There are two major types of diabetes. In Type 1, the body completely stops producing any insulin, a hormone that enables the body to use glucose found in foods for energy. People with type 1 diabetes must take daily insulin injections to survive. Type 2 diabetes results when the body doesn’t produce enough insulin and/or is unable to use insulin properly. Diabetes can occur in anyone. However, people who have close relatives with the disease are somewhat more likely to develop it. Other risk factors include obesity (Obesity is one of the biggest epidemics in developed countries today), high cholesterol, high blood pressure, and physical inactivity. The risk of developing diabetes also increases as people grow older. People who are over 40 and overweight are more likely to develop diabetes.

The costs of diabetes is an economic tsunami.

The costs of diabetes is an economic tsunami. People with diabetes cause the highest health care costs. Because of its chronic nature, the severity of its complications and the means required to control them, diabetes is a costly disease, not only for the affected individual and his/her family, but also for the government health authorities. The costs of diabetes affect everyone, everywhere, but they are not only a financial problem. Intangible costs such as pain, anxiety, inconvenience and generally lower quality of life, emotional, physical and financial burden on the entire family are the most difficult to quantify… A University of Chicago study estimates that Americans with diabetes will increase from 24 million people to about 44 million people by 2034, with This is a tremendous costdirect health care costs increasing from $245 billion a year to half a trillion dollars a year. This is a tremendous costto their economy and a painful reality for millions of Americans.

Immediate action is needed to stem the tide of diabetes and to introduce cost-effective treatment strategies to reverse this trend, this is where marijuana can play a part. Substantial evidence indicates that marijuana may prevent and treat diabetes.

Marijuana may prevent and treat diabetes

Studies have found lower prevalence rates of obesity and diabetes in marijuana users compared with people who have never used marijuana suggesting a relationship between cannabinoids and peripheral metabolic processes. Although marijuana has a well-deserved reputation for increasing appetite via what stoners call “the munchies,” the drug has a two-faced relationship to weight. Cannabis compounds help in controlling blood sugar. Toking up may help marijuana users to stay slim and lower their risk of developing diabetes, cannabis compounds help in controlling blood sugar. In diabetes, high blood sugar levels eventually lead to a variety of metabolic and non-metabolic complications.

Studies have identified higher endocannabinoid levels in diabetics compared to healthy individuals. Endocannabinoids are natural compounds found within all humans that happen to act in a similar way as plant-derived cannabinoids such as THC. Along with cannabinoid receptors, they make up what is known as the endocannabinoid system. Insulin dysfunction is the underlying factor in diabetes as well as the primary target of medical treatment.Interestingly, the presence of cannabinoid receptors has been identified in cells of the pancreas that produce insulin. Marijuana can activate the receptors in the endocannabinoid system in the pancreas to increase insulin production. THC use is also able to preserve insulin levels and lower blood glucose levels because THC demonstrated an incredible ability to counter autoimmune attacks.

Other major actions of marijuana can benefit the diabetic. One is helping to keep blood vessels open and improving circulation. Marijuana has the ability of widening of blood vessels. It results from relaxation of smooth muscle cells within the vessel walls, in particular in the large veins, large arteries, and smaller arterioles. and works well to improve blood flow, marijuana can reduce blood pressure over time. While marijuana is not generally thought to be an anti-hypertensive, it does contribute to lower blood pressure which is vital in diabetes management. Cannabinoids have a therapeutic role in a number of cardiovascular complications that accompany diabetes. Cannabinoids have the ability to regulate vascular inflammation, oxidative stress and atherosclerosis, thus marijuana may be useful in the treatment of these dysfunctions.

Night time can be particularly difficult for diabetics, common to them is a syndrome known as “restless leg syndrome”. Relieving the symptoms of RLS are among the therapeutic applications of marijuana. Medical experts consider this plant as a treatment for this syndrome where it is considered as a neurological disorder and most of its symptoms are associated with abnormal muscle movements.

Glaucoma is another complication that can arise with diabetes. The general term for glaucoma-related complications is retinopathy. People who have diabetes are 40 percent more likely to contract glaucoma than people without the disease. Glaucoma occurs when pressure builds inside the eye, eventually cutting off blood flow and damaging the optic nerve. Vision is gradually lost due to the continued pressure and nerve damage. Glaucoma is among the most common medical conditions treated with medicinal marijuana.

Approximately 60-70% of diabetics suffer from some form of nerve damage, which can often lead to a specific type of pain known as neuropathic pain. Marijuana has shown the ability in managing diabetes-related neuropathic pain where pharmaceutical medications fail. Low-doses of vaporized cannabis provide significant improvement for neuropathic pain sufferers. As has been the basis of many of the therapeutic effects of cannabis, the anti-inflammatory properties of CBD-rich cannabis are likely responsible for the observation of cannabis use reducing neuropathic pain. Patients suffering from neuropathic pain may find comfort in marijuana use.

Toking up may help marijuana users to stay slim and lower their risk of developing diabetes, The most likely explanation is that prolonged cannabis use causes the cannabinoid receptors to lose sensitivity and become inactive. This weakening of these cannabinoid receptors, translates into a lower risk for obesity and diabetes because the inactive receptor would be unable to respond to our own cannabis-like molecules, which we know are important in keeping us chubby. While marijuana may initially promote appetite and overeating, in the long run it has the opposite effect because it desensitizes cannabinoid receptors and may even protect against obesity.

So my fat friends, start sparking up!

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Marijuana Treats Parkinson’s Disease

Marijuana Treats Parkinson’s Disease in a few different ways. With marijuana research becoming the leading study in many parts of this Country, we are bound to find cures not yet discovered.

Parkinson’s disease is a chronic, degenerative disorder that mostly affects the elderly population with no known cure. Like Alzheimer’s, it is thought to be caused by a progressive loss of neurons in the brain causing a shortage of dopamine production. Dopamine is one of many chemicals in the brain that help to regulate its activity. Dopamine is an especially important neurotransmitter. It is often called the ‘feel good’ chemical, because it is directly responsible for feelings of pleasure and reward. Many biological functions involve the reward pathways of the brain, including appetite, attention, learning, sleep, sex, movement and mood. It is no secret that marijuana causes a temporary rise in dopamine levels which is responsible for the euphoria that recreational users experience, the ‘feel good’ effect. This shortage of dopamine results in the impairments in movement associated with the Parkinson’s disease .

Parkinson’s Symptoms

The symptoms of Parkinson’s disease are tremors, rigidity, slowness of movement and/or postural instability. Tremors are the most visible and well-known of the symptoms but other symptoms of Parkinson’s disease can include a deterioration of mental abilities related to knowledge, attention, memory, judgment and evaluation, reasoning, problem solving, decision making, comprehension and production of language and mood disorders or behavioral disorders.
For patients with Parkinson’s disease with difficult-to-control symptoms, or for those who are experiencing severe negative side effects from pharmaceutical’s, marijuana can provide the necessary relief.

Significant Improvements With Marijuana Treatment

According to a study published in ‘Clinical Neuropharmacology‘ ( http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25237116 ), motor skills improves significantly after marijuana use. There was also significant improvement after marijuana treatment with tremors, stiffness and slowness of body movement as well as significant improvement with sleep and pain problems without any significant adverse effects. The study also shows significant improvement in specific motor symptoms after treatment with marijuana. In addition, marijuana’s cannabidiol’s (CBD) anti-anxiety, antidepressant, anti-psychotic and sedative properties could explain the improvements in emotional well-being, daily life activities and quality of life. Marijuana has a place in the therapy of Parkinson’s disease. Although the best neuroprotective treatments for Parkinson’s disease are not known, the endocannabinoid system may be the most promising target for further studies and research. Also very interesting, though scientists haven’t figured out exactly how it works, animal studies suggest compounds in marijuana may be able to actually slow the progression of Parkinson’s and other neurodegenerative conditions such as ALS, Alzheimer’s, and Huntington’s disease.

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Managing Psychosis In Parkinson’s

The management of psychosis in Parkinson’s disease has been a great challenge and there is a need for new drug intervention. Marijuana has an anti-psychotic and neuroprotective effect. Therefore, the aim of a present study was to directly evaluate the ability to produce a desired result, tolerability and safety of CBD’s in marijuana on Parkinson’s disease sufferers with psychotic problems. Six consecutive outpatients (four men and two women) with the diagnosis of Parkinson’s disease and who had psychosis for at least 3 months were selected for the study. All patients received marijuana’s cannabidiol for 4 weeks, in addition to their usual therapy. The psychotic symptoms showed a significant decrease under CBD treatment. CBD did not worsen the motor function and decreased the total scores of the Unified Parkinson’s Disease Rating Scale, the most commonly used scale in the clinical study of Parkinson’s disease. No adverse effect was observed during the treatment. These preliminary data suggest that marijuana may be effective, safe and well tolerated for the treatment of the psychosis in Parkinson’s disease.

Pain With Parkenson’s

Descriptions of Parkinson’s Disease do not generally include the mention of pain. Yet more than half of all people with Parkinson’s disease say that they have experienced painful symptoms and various forms of physical discomfort. Marijuana is useful for some patients in managing chronic pain. Other symptoms experienced by patients with Parkinson’s Disease, such as depression and anxiety, relief can be found in marijuana therapy. Marijuana use also provides relief to patients experiencing nausea and vomiting, potential side effects of certain standard PD medications.
Marijuana use improves symptoms or slows progression for patients with Parkinson’s Disease.

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